Let Them Burn Guano

Harold Henderson's article "A Dumb Deal" [November 15] reveals why some of us have been advocating a municipal buyout of Com Ed for some time.

First, the arrogance of the company is astonishing. They announce that they will tie the City up in court for decades if the City tries to enforce the buyout option of the contract; they respond to City requests for information with stalls and demands for secrecy--ignoring that the information is the City's by contract right, if they want to publish it, even if they want to turn it into confetti. Then they sit down to negotiate a new contract.

Second, there is very little we could get in the way of bill relief from Com Ed. They built all those nuclear generators. Their customers will have to pay for them whether they are used or not. Our only choice is whether to be among those customers who pay that price.

All I can quarrel with is the title. It isn't that this particular deal is dumb. Any deal with Com Ed is dumb.

Every time I could ask a question of a Planning Department spokesman, I asked, "Is the City checking out the other alternatives?" Each time I was told "We are; but we can't give details because Com Ed might hear." Now they bring us this piece of guano and say that we don't have a choice because they don't have any other alternatives.